Ensuring No Child Grieves Alone

In 1991, a group of committed community volunteers in Lansing, MI, came together to support children in the area who had experienced the death of a parent, sibling, or someone else close to them. Named for Helen Louise Snow Stover, nicknamed Ele, who had died at just 11 months old, initial programming at Ele's Place served many children in the Lansing area, including Ele's three oldest siblings. 

Today, with 30 years of history, and more than 30,000 individuals served, four branch locations across the state of Michigan, Ele's Place provides onsite and school-based bereavement programming for children ages 3-18 who have experienced a death in their lives. These programs are provided at no cost to our families, and provide children and teens an opportunity to safely grieve. 

Our Mission

Ele's Place is a non-profit, community-based organization dedicated to creating awareness of and support for grieving children, teens, and their families. 

Our Vision

To ensure no child or teen in Michigan grieves alone. 

Our Core Values

  1. We believe in creating and bolstering strong relationships; among our team members, between our team and the stakeholders we serve, and with the families we serve. Additionally, we seek collaboration within the nonprofit, private sector, bereavement, and children’s supportive services space.  

  1. We believe in fostering well-being and health; for the children and teens we serve, as well as for our own team, and our communities as a whole. 

  1. We believe in providing service with the utmost integrity and accountability; both through the ethical standards we uphold, and through keeping each other responsible for these standards. 

  1. We believe in excellence and innovation; while providing a program with fidelity to and quality of proven practices, we also allow ourselves the opportunity to grow, learn, and improve upon all we do.  

  1. We believe in honoring and promoting diversity; through an open and inclusive environment. We strive to reflect our communities in the families we serve and the members of our team.